Son of Minnesotans survives shipwreck caused by Hurricane Sandy

Blog Post by: $author

October 30, 2012 - 11:30 AM

Bill and Jo Svendsen of Nisswa spent some tense hours Monday waiting to hear whether their son survived when the tall ship on which he served as First Mate foundered off the coast of North Carolina during Hurricane Sandy.

Thankfully, John Svendsen was among 14 HMS Bounty crew members recsued by the Coast Guard. Rescuers also recovered a woman who was later pronounced dead and continued to search for the captain.

The 180-foot replica tall ship foundered in high winds and waves about 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, N.C. The ships was built for the 1962 file Mutiny on the Bounty and also appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean.

The Svendsens, who run a gift shop in Nisswa, told KARE-TV that John told them he was doing okay, despite a broken hand and ribs.

Students at the University of Minnesota Duluth were geared up for a visit today by former President Bill Clinton as he tours the region trying to shore up support for President Obama, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and congressional candidate Rick Nolan.

"The chance to see a living president is going to appeal to a big chunk of students," Ben Dufault, president of UMD's College Democrats, told the Duluth News Tribune. "I think people will be excited because of who he is and what he stands for."

Clinton was scheduled to appear at the university's Kirby Ballroom at 12:30 p.m. It's his first visit to the city since 1994, when he jogged on Skyline Parkway with then-mayor Gary Doty and stumped for Ann Wynia as she tried unsuccessfully to win a U.S. Senate seat.

Clinton also appeared Monday night in Fargo and in Minneapolis Tuesday morning at the McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota.